Sulphur Polypore

I found this sulphur polypore during a forest walk. The yellow color has a fascinating high contrast to the old wood.

Laetiporus sulphureus

Laetiporus sulphureus

Linked with Macro Monday.

Silent Sunday - Starling

Linked with Silent Sunday.

Birds in Tennenlohe

The forest of Tennenlohe is a nature protected reserve near Nuremberg in southern Germany. Large parts of the area are heathland with shrubs that is kept open with the help of wild horses. The place is good birding area with species like Woodlark, Tree pipit or Red-backed shrike. 

A Tree Pipit.

Yellowhammers are always present.

Woodlark. 

A female Red-backed Shrike.

And a male Red-backed Shrike.

Another Pipit.

The wild horses, they are only males and come from a zoological garden.

Shared with Wild Bird Wednesday, Viewing Nature with Eileen and I'D Rather B Birdin'.

the simple beauty of grass

Some black and white photos of different grasses.

Carex flacca

Carex flava agg. 

Dactylis glomerata, cock's-foot or orchard grass.

Linked with The Weekend in Black and White.

Fly away

Linked with Skywatch Friday.

Canada Gosse family on a first trip

Linked with Wordless Wednesday.

Red Squirrel in black

I have seen this pair of squirrels in a park. One is melanistic and the other has also an unusual dark color. They were shy, but also very curious. 

The black one.

Linked with Our World Tuesday and Sweet Shot Tuesday.

Hoverfly

A tiny hoverfly on a flower.

Shared with Macro Monday. 

Silent Sunday - Robin

Linked with Silent Sunday.

Birds of the Lake Tana in Ethiopia

Lake Tana is famous tourist site in Northern Ethiopia and known for the monasteries on the islands of the lake. Beside the cultural highlights, the area is also a good place for birding. The surroundings of the churches and the southern shore, in Bahir Dar where the Hotels are located, have dense vegetation and many old trees close to the water. During the typical one day trip to the islands, it is possible to see 20 or more different bird species. In the parks on the see was many Silvery-cheeked Hornbills and turacos (too far away for my camera) and on the islands a high variety of barbets. Excuse the quality of the photos; I had only a small bridge cam with me.

An African Pied Wagtail.

Banded Barbet in Bahir Dar.

A Double-toothed Barbet on a island. 

A Sun Squirrel.

A Silvery-cheeked Hornbill in Bahir Dar.

A Spur-winged Goose on the sea shore.

A Yellow Wagtail.

Shared with I'D Rather B Birdin', Viewing nature with Eileen and Wild Bird Wednesday.

Corn Bunting

I have seen this male Corn Bunting during a walk. He was singing on a fence post and few away into the trees. Corn Buntings are common birds but there population decreases drastically. They can not adapt to industrial agriculture. 

Shared with The Weekend in Black and White. 

Cloudy Sky

Some sky photos from the last week.

Linked with Skywatch Friday. 

Asparagine extracted from lupines

Asparagine is a very common natural amino acid and can be found in asparagus, legumes, nuts, or soy. After an old method (described by Molisch 1913: Die Mikrochemie der Pflanze) it can be extracted with alcohol from lupines that are germinated in darkness. 

Lupine

The results of the test can be seen on the photos. After drying some colorless crystals where formed from the alcohol extract. Under the microscope and in polarized light, they are very colorful and have a high birefringence.

Asparagine under the microscope (magnification 80x and polarized light).

Asparagine under the microscope (magnification 200x and polarized light).

Asparagine under the microscope (magnification 80x and polarized light).

Longhorn Beetles

Linked with Wordless Wednesday.

Yellowhammer

Linked with Our World Tuesday and Sweet Shot Tuesday.

A bell pepper operation

On the first view bell pepper looks like a simple fruit, but in detail, the anatomy it offers some surprising structures. I dissected a red bell pepper fruit after line and thread to make photos in macroscopic dimensions or under the microscope.

The fruit wall in back light.

The seed.

The view through a microscope:

Epidermis cells.

The cells of the endocarp (inner wall) have thick meandering cell walls.

Another sample of epidermis cells. 

Steam cross section with stained cell walls (Etzold Staining Solution made of Astra Blue, Fuchsine and Safranin).

Section through the fruit wall, the small red dots are the chromoplasts that produce the red color, the upper part of the photo is the epidermis of the fruit.

Linked with Macro Monday, Mondaymellowyellows and I heart macro.